Aktiiv Proterra Sports Bra
At a glance
Summary
Aktiiv Proterra Sports Bra scores 70/100. The body is 88% Proterra — 42% plant-based nylon grown from castor beans, 40% biodegradable bio-accelerated nylon, and 18% Roica V550 degradable stretch. Aktiiv's Proterra fabric is plant-based and biodegradable, and every yarn in it is OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 certified to Annex 6, Product Class I — the babies-and-toddlers tier, which carries the strictest limit values in the scheme and screens over a thousand substances. Aktiiv also lab-tests non-detect for BPA, PFAS, azo dyes, phthalates, and formaldehyde. On chemical exposure that is a stronger position than most certified-organic activewear, which is certified but rarely lab-tested. It scores below the Proterra legging because the remaining 12% is conventional trim: an elastic band of recycled and virgin polyester with elastane, and power-mesh inserts of nylon and spandex, none of which carry the bio-based or degradable properties of the main fabric. This is still a fully synthetic knit, so it sheds microfibres in the wash — most of them break down far faster than ordinary nylon, but the castor-based portion does not.
Key ingredients 4
Plant-Based Nylon (37%)Good
A 100% bio-based polyamide spun from castor beans rather than petroleum, and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Class I certified. Bio-based is not the same as biodegradable, though — this fiber still sheds microfibres that persist like conventional nylon.
See more about Plant-Based Nylon (37%) →Biodegradable Bio-Accelerated Nylon (35%)Good
An additive lets microbes break this polyamide down: roughly five years in anaerobic landfill against fifty-plus for ordinary nylon, and the microfibres it sheds in the wash degrade far faster in seawater. Testing found the byproducts to be organic matter, not toxic residues.
See more about Biodegradable Bio-Accelerated Nylon (35%) →Roica V550 (16%)Neutral
The stretch fiber, and the only elastane holding a Cradle to Cradle Material Health Gold certificate. It partially decomposes into CO2 and water under industrial composting, though the manufacturer is explicit that full degradation has not been verified. It is what gives the garment its recovery.
See more about Roica V550 (16%) →Conventional Trim — Polyester, Nylon & Spandex (12%)Bad
The elastic band (63% recycled polyester, 17% virgin polyester, 20% elastane) and the power-mesh inserts (83% nylon, 17% spandex) are ordinary petroleum synthetics with none of the bio-based or degradable properties of the Proterra fabric. They shed persistent microplastics, and the elastic band is the part of a sports bra where BPA has historically been found.
See more about Conventional Trim — Polyester, Nylon & Spandex (12%) →Get the full breakdown in the Scout appTake Scout shopping
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